Undertaking Love Page 0,87

and shot her daggers across the desk. ‘Only I think you know exactly what I’m talking about.’ He didn’t hear the door open behind him.

‘If I said fireworks, July Fourth and dead dogs, would that jog your memory, I wonder? And what about a certain wedding-funeral clash that Dora definitely mentioned to you?’ He wagged his finger at her and gave her his Oprah-inspired neck wiggle. ‘I’m onto you, lady.’

A hand landed on Jonny’s shoulder, and he whipped around to find himself face to face with Gabe.

‘What’s going on here?’ Gabe asked quietly.

‘Nothing,’ Melanie said with a smooth smile. ‘Jonny was just leaving.’

‘No, I wasn’t.’ Jonny turned to Gabe. ‘Marla asked me to do a last run through with you, make sure everything is clockwork for tomorrow.’

Gabe nodded. ‘Sure. Come on through.’

‘I can do it, Gabe,’ Melanie jumped in. ‘Really.’ She picked up a grey folder and tapped it. ‘I have all of the info right here …’

‘Thank you.’ Gabe took the file from her fingers. ‘But I’d rather do this myself.’

‘But …’

Gabe dismissed her protests with a curt shake of his head and waved for Jonny to follow him through. ‘Come up to the office.’

Jonny couldn’t resist a victory wink at Melanie, and she met his eyes with a look of malice that would have rattled a mass murderer.

Gabe sat alone in his office for some time after Jonny left.

The preparations for Dora’s funeral were watertight; it was the knowledge of Melanie’s duplicity that held him despondent in his seat. The smokescreen she’d cloaked herself in had blown away on the winds of truth, and the additional information Jonny had just revealed about the note from the fireworks had been the final nail in the coffin.

It came at great cost to Gabe. He’d been determined to think the best of her, and it unnerved him that he could have got her so wrong.

When had his judgment become so skewed?

He dropped his head into his hands and pushed his palms into his eye sockets.

He was starting to wish he’d never set foot in this place.

This thing with Marla was going nowhere, and he missed Dora’s unique brand of acerbic humour around the place more than he’d care to admit. The realisation that Melanie had played him for a fool felt like one blow too many, and for the first time he questioned the wisdom of doggedly sticking it out when everyone was against him.

He’d had just about a gut-full of Beckleberry.

What was the point?

He shoved his chair back and headed downstairs.

Melanie buttoned her winter coat as Gabe walked into reception, and she met his eyes with the startled gaze of a fox staring down the double barrel of the farmer’s shot gun.

He crossed to block the closed door.

‘I trusted you,’ he said softly.

‘You can still trust me,’ she whispered as she stepped towards him.

‘No.’ Gabe laughed bitterly and shook his head. ‘No, I can’t. You slept with Rupert. You took the note from the fireworks and gave it to him.’

He drew no pleasure from the way she flinched at each new accusation.

‘But worst of all, you deliberately let a defenceless old woman take the blame for something that you did.’

‘I can explain, Gabe. Please, just listen …’

‘I don’t think so.’

He handed her a brown envelope. ‘Just leave, and don’t come back.’

He swung the door wide and stepped aside to let her pass.

A little later, Gabe nudged the door to the Chapel of Rest open with one foot and carried two mugs of tea into the quiet room. He sat down next to Dora’s lifeless form and picked at the seal on a packet of jammy dodgers.

He knew perfectly well that it made no sense to bring tea and biscuits for a dead person, but he felt that Dora would appreciate the gesture, nonetheless.

‘Cheers, Dora.’

He clinked his mug gently against her full one and dunked a biscuit.

‘It’s been a bit of a day, to be honest, Dora. I’ve smacked Rupert, sacked Melanie, and Marla still can’t stand the bloody sight of me. Two out of three ain’t bad, huh?’

He smiled, certain that Dora would have had plenty to say about the day’s events. He sat in companionable silence with her until he’d finished his tea.

‘I’ll take special care of you tomorrow. Only the best, I promise.’

He touched her cool fingers, adorned only with a single band of gold.

The symbol of Ivan’s eternal love.

Gabe picked up both mugs, one full and one almost empty, and left the room with a heavy heart.